Assistant Division Director

New Jersey Department of Children and Families

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Assistant Division Director #463-26

Trenton, NJ, US • Posted 14 hours ago • Updated 14 hours ago

Full Time

On-site

$140,000 - $159,000/yr

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Job Details

Skills

• leadership

• program management

• data engineering

• Azure

• AWS

• SQL

• Python

• CI/CD

• Infrastructure-as-Code

• AI/ML concepts

• stakeholder management

• data management

• business intelligence

• leadership

• program management

• data engineering

• Azure

• AWS

• SQL

• Python

• CI/CD

• Infrastructure-as-Code

• AI/ML concepts

• stakeholder management

• data management

• business intelligence

• Summary

• Assistant Division Director #463-26

• SALARY: $140,000.00-$159,000.00 (Commensurate with education and experience)

• The Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Data Management and Reporting, is seeking a qualified individual to fill the Assistant Division Director position located in Trenton. This position may be eligible to work remotely for up to two days in a calendar week.

• DEFINITION: Under the direction of a Division Director, Deputy Director, or other senior official in a state department or agency, directs the staff and activities of an operational unit responsible for providing general administrative and/or fiscal management, program policy and planning services, or delivering a variety of social, medical, assistance, health care, and other services to a specific client population; does other related duties as required.

• ROLE SUMMARY: Under the leadership of the Director of Data Management & Reporting, the incumbent will lead NJ DCF's enterprise data platform, governance, and analytics enablement so DCF staff, providers, and partners can rely on well-governed, secure, and timely data to improve outcomes for children and families. The Assistant Director implements the cloud data strategy (Azure and/or AWS), supports pragmatic data governance, and manages a multidisciplinary technical team while partnering closely with program leadership to deliver high-value data products, reporting, and research support. This leader is expected to be hands-on when needed-capable of prototyping, reviewing code, troubleshooting pipelines, and guiding engineers through complex incidents while maintaining high standards for security, privacy, and compliance.

KEY RESPONSIBILTIES:

• Strategic & Roadmap Leadership

• Play an active role in implementing NJ DCF's Information Management Strategy Roadmap.

• Translate business needs into technical roadmaps and manage intake and prioritization.

• Advise leadership on the impact of federal/state statutory changes.

• Develop and implement businessfirst processes for program management and data management capabilities.

• Platform Architecture, Operations & Reliability

• Own the architecture, delivery, and optimization of DCF's cloud data lake/warehouse, including orchestration, CI/CD, monitoring, security, and cost management.

• Champion observability, documentation, and change management across the data ecosystem.

• Oversee data integration processes to facilitate seamless data flow between systems and applications.

• Establish data privacy policies and implement disaster recovery and business continuity strategies to ensure organizational data protection.

• Governance, Quality, Compliance & Security

• Participate in governance committees, support implementation of data policies, steward roles, and compliance standards.

• Implement and maintain an enterprise data catalog and a data quality program with clear SLA.

• Facilitate implementation of data governance policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and security of data across the organization.

• Ensure compliance with federal/state mandates and internal policies.

• Leverage reporting tools to track data quality, usage trends, and KPIs for data products, ensuring actionable insights for stakeholders.

• Data Products, Analytics & AI Enablement

• Design reusable data products for reporting, dashboards, statutory submissions, and research partnerships.

• Guide responsible use of AI and automation with applicable safeguards.

• Leadership, Team Management & Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead, develop, and mentor a technical team of engineers, data modelers, and stewards.

• Manage performance evaluations and operational functions for assigned staff.

• Build and maintain a positive, inclusive work environment.

• Support vendor selection, contract oversight, and delivery standards.

• Represent DMR and DCF in meetings, conferences, and stakeholder engagements.

• General Responsibilities

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science, engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).

• 10+ years in data engineering/analytics/platform roles, including 5+ years managing technical teams.

• Hands-on experience with Azure/AWS cloud data platforms; strong SQL and Python skills.

• Experience with CI/CD and Infrastructure-as-Code.

• Knowledge of AI/ML concepts and responsible AI practices.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Experience in data management, business intelligence and analytics environments is required.

• Experience across product life cycles (emerging, launch, in-line, mature) is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with regulatory reporting processes and prior experience working in a highly regulated environment.

• Demonstrated experience in governance including catalog/lineage and data quality.

• Knowledge of open data programs and API-based data exchange.

• Experience with modern data stack components such as Databricks, Spark, dbt, Terraform, and containerization/orchestration frameworks (e.g., Docker/Kubernetes).

• Experience in software development, including an understanding of programming concepts and the logic flow of applications, is preferred.

REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience.

• Ten (10) years of professional experience in a public or private organization involved in programs providing either social/community, medical/health, rehabilitation/education, or vocational/occupational services to a specific client population (physical, intellectual, or developmental disability, juvenile offenders, socially/economically disadvantaged, etc.), three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity.

• OR

• Ten (10) years of professional experience as an administrator responsible for planning, budgets, and administration of programs in a large public or private agency, three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity.

• OR

• Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and six (6) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity.

• OR

• Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in a field relevant to the position; and five (5) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity.

• "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.

• RESUME NOTE: Eligibility determinations will be based upon information presented on the resume only. Applicants who possess a degree from a college or university outside the United States must provide an evaluation of one's transcripts from a recognized evaluation service at the time of submission by the above closing date. Failure to do so may result in your ineligibility.

• LICENSE: Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

• IMPORTANT NOTICES

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: The Department of Children and Families provides many employee benefits, including but not limited to:

• Alternative Workweek Program*

• Deferred Compensation

• Health, Dental and Life Insurance

• Flexible and Health Spending Accounts

• Pension

• Telework*

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness

• Benefit Leave (Vacation, Sick, Administrative Leave)

• 13 Paid Holidays

• *Pursuant to Department policy, procedures and/or guidelines

• PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS: As a prospective employee of the State of New Jersey, you